Heavy metals in waters used for human consumption and crop irrigation

The consumption of contaminated water is a major source of heavy metal contamination in humans and animals. This study therefore aimed to assess Cd, Cu, Mn, Ni, Pb, and Zn levels in water used for human and animal consumption and vegetable crop irrigation in Camocim de São Félix, Pernambuco, Brazil. Water samples were collected on the studied farms from an artesian well and reservoirs used for human and animal consumption as well as for crop irrigation. The results showed that concentrations of Cd (> 0.001 mg L^-1), Ni (> 0.025 mg L^-1) and Pb (> 0.01 mg L^-1) were above the maximum allowable limits established under Brazilian law, indicating the need for a preventive monitoring program and immediate intervention initiatives aimed at the sources of contamination. The results demonstrate the need to quantify heavy metal content in vegetable crops, since their contamination by irrigation water may make them harmful to human health. Rainfall has a seasonal effect on heavy metal concentrations in water, showing a significant effect on Pb levels, whereas Cd and Ni content was less dependent on seasonal variation.

Keywords:
agrochemicals; cadmium; diffuse pollution; lead; trace elements

Authorship

Laercio Santos Silva

Universidade Estadual Paulista "Júlio de Mesquita Filho" (UNESP), Jaboticabal, SP, Brasil. Departamento de Solos e Adubos (FCAV/UNESP). E-mail: laerciosantos18@gmail.com, rpgagronomia@gmail.com, ludmilafreitas84@gmail.com, ivanildoufam@gmail.comUniversidade Estadual Paulista "Júlio de Mesquita Filho"BrazilJaboticabal, SP, BrazilUniversidade Estadual Paulista "Júlio de Mesquita Filho" (UNESP), Jaboticabal, SP, Brasil. Departamento de Solos e Adubos (FCAV/UNESP). E-mail: laerciosantos18@gmail.com, rpgagronomia@gmail.com, ludmilafreitas84@gmail.com, ivanildoufam@gmail.com

Izabel Cristina de Luna Galindo

Universidade Federal Rural de Pernambuco (UFRPE), Recife, PE, Brasil. Departamento de Agronomia. E-mail: agromccc@yahoo.com.br,cwanascimento@yahoo.comUniversidade Federal Rural de PernambucoBrazilRecife, PE, BrazilUniversidade Federal Rural de Pernambuco (UFRPE), Recife, PE, Brasil. Departamento de Agronomia. E-mail: agromccc@yahoo.com.br,cwanascimento@yahoo.com

Clístenes Wilians Araújo do Nascimento

Romário Pimenta Gomes

Ludmila de Freitas

Ivanildo Amorim de Oliveira

Milton César Costa Campos ^**Corresponding author: Milton César Costa Campos, e-mail: mcesarsolos@gmail.com

Universidade Federal do Amazonas (UFAM), Humaitá, AM, Brasil. Colegiado de Agronomia. E-mail: mcesarsolos@gmail.comUniversidade Federal do AmazonasBrazilHumaitá, AM, BrazilUniversidade Federal do Amazonas (UFAM), Humaitá, AM, Brasil. Colegiado de Agronomia. E-mail: mcesarsolos@gmail.com

José Maurício da Cunha

Universidade Federal do Amazonas (UFAM), Humaitá, AM, Brasil. Colegiado de Ciências: Física e Matemática. E-mail: maujmc@gmail.comUniversidade Federal do AmazonasBrazilHumaitá, AM, BrazilUniversidade Federal do Amazonas (UFAM), Humaitá, AM, Brasil. Colegiado de Ciências: Física e Matemática. E-mail: maujmc@gmail.com

*Corresponding author: Milton César Costa Campos, e-mail: mcesarsolos@gmail.com

SCIMAGO INSTITUTIONS RANKINGS

Figures | Tables

Figures (4)
Tables (2)

Thumbnail

Figure 1.
Mean monthly rainfall (January to December 2010) and historic mean in the municipality of Camocim de São Félix-PE. Source: Data provided by ITEP/LAMEPE, Camocim de São Félix Weather Station; * monthly rainfall in 2010 and 10-year average.

Thumbnail

Figure 2.
Influence of rainfall on the seasonal variation in cadmium (Cd) concentration in water samples from five reservoirs (R) and an artesian well (home) used to irrigate vegetable crops and for human and animal consumption in the municipality of Camocim de São Félix-PE.

Thumbnail

Figure 3.
Influence of rainfall on the seasonal variation in nickel (Ni) concentration in water samples from five reservoirs (R) and an artesian well (home) used to irrigate vegetable crops and for human and animal consumption in the municipality of Camocim de São Félix-PE.

Thumbnail

Figure 4.
Influence of rainfall on the seasonal variation in lead (Pb) concentration in water samples from five reservoirs (R) and an artesian well (home) used to irrigate vegetable crops and for human and animal consumption in the municipality of Camocim de São Félix-PE.

Thumbnail

Table 1.
Altitude, geographic coordinates and area of the bodies of water studied.

Thumbnail

Table 2.
Heavy metals in water samples from five reservoirs and an artesian well used to irrigate vegetable crops and for human and animal consumption in the municipality of Camocim de São Félix-PE.

Figure 1. Mean monthly rainfall (January to December 2010) and historic mean in the municipality of Camocim de São Félix-PE. Source: Data provided by ITEP/LAMEPE, Camocim de São Félix Weather Station; * monthly rainfall in 2010 and 10-year average.

Figure 2. Influence of rainfall on the seasonal variation in cadmium (Cd) concentration in water samples from five reservoirs (R) and an artesian well (home) used to irrigate vegetable crops and for human and animal consumption in the municipality of Camocim de São Félix-PE.

Figure 3. Influence of rainfall on the seasonal variation in nickel (Ni) concentration in water samples from five reservoirs (R) and an artesian well (home) used to irrigate vegetable crops and for human and animal consumption in the municipality of Camocim de São Félix-PE.

Figure 4. Influence of rainfall on the seasonal variation in lead (Pb) concentration in water samples from five reservoirs (R) and an artesian well (home) used to irrigate vegetable crops and for human and animal consumption in the municipality of Camocim de São Félix-PE.

Table 1. Altitude, geographic coordinates and area of the bodies of water studied.

Reservations:	Altitude (m)	Coordinates	Body of water (m²)
^aR-1	643	S 8°22'34.5" and W 35°45'59.4"*	7600
R-2	640	S 8°22'37.0" and W 35°46'02.5"	8100
R-3	646	S 8°20'39.3" and W 35°45'04.9"	5250
R-4	656	S 8°20'36.7" and W 35°45'00.2"	5950
R-5	665	S 8°20'49.9" and W 35°44'58.1"	6300
Home^b	699	S 8°21'50.2" and W 35°45'44.2"	---

^aR = reservoir; ^b = artesian well. *data on altitude, coordinates and the bodies of water were obtained using a Garmin eTREX VISTA HCx GPS device.

Table 2. Heavy metals in water samples from five reservoirs and an artesian well used to irrigate vegetable crops and for human and animal consumption in the municipality of Camocim de São Félix-PE.

Areas	Months
	Jan	Feb	Mar		Apr	May	Jun	Jul	Aug	Sept	Oct	Nov	Dec	Mean
	^bCd mg L^-1
^aR-1	0.05	0.04	0.04		0.04	0.04	0.04	0.04	0.04	0.04	0.04	0.04	0.04	0.04
R-2	0.05	0.05	0.05		0.04	0.04	0.04	0.04	0.05	0.04	0.04	0.05	0.04	0.04
R-3	0.04	0.05	0.04		0.04	0.05	0.04	0.04	0.04	0.04	0.04	0.05	0.04	0.04
R-4	0.04	0.04	0.04		0.04	0.04	0.05	0.05	0.05	0.05	0.05	0.06	0.05	0.05
R-5	0.05	0.05	0.05		0.05	0.05	0.05	0.05	0.05	0.05	0.05	0.05	0.05	0.05
Home	0.05	0.05	0.05		0.05	0.05	0.06	0.06	0.06	0.05	0.06	0.06	0.05	0.05
CONAMA Nº 357/05*				0.001
	^cNi mg L^-1
R-1	1.95	2.18	2.14		2.47	2.73	2.59	2.57	2.48	2.51	2.7	2.41	2.07	2.4
R-2	2.26	2	1.87		2.02	2.23	2.09	2.35	2.23	2.32	2.44	2.43	2.06	2.19
R-3	2.45	2.58	2.22		2.44	2.19	2.14	2.62	2.57	2.33	2.57	2.17	1.85	2.34
R-4	2.67	1.97	2.3		2.58	2.38	2.46	2.72	2.96	2.56	2.5	2.69	2.62	2.53
R-5	2.78	2.25	2.45		2.47	2.55	2.89	2.62	2.61	2.9	2.75	2.75	2.52	2.63
Home	2.32	2.71	2.53		2.58	2.49	2.95	2.88	2.9	3.17	3.28	3.31	3.25	2.86
CONAMA Nº 357/05*				0.025
	^dPb mg L^-1
R-1	<Ld^e	<Ld	<Ld		<Ld	<Ld	<Ld	<Ld	<Ld	<Ld	<Ld	<Ld	0	<Ld
R-2	<Ld	<Ld	<Ld		<Ld	<Ld	<Ld	<Ld	<Ld	<Ld	<Ld	<Ld	0	<Ld
R-3	<Ld	<Ld	<Ld		<Ld	<Ld	<Ld	<Ld	<Ld	<Ld	<Ld	<Ld	0	<Ld
R-4	0.08	0.04	0.06		0.11	0.1	0.1	0.12	0.1	0.12	0.13	0.12	0.09	0.1
R-5	0.11	0.15	0.16		0.16	0.18	0.19	0.19	0.18	0.04	0.08	0.09	0.12	0.14
Home	0.08	0.12	0.09		0.09	0.08	0.05	0.08	0.05	0.07	0.07	0.07	0.06	0.08
CONAMA Nº 357/05*				0.01

^aR= reservoir; ^bCd= cadmium; ^cNi= nickel; ^dPb=lead; ^eLd= not detected.

How to cite

copy

Instituto de Pesquisas Ambientais em Bacias Hidrográficas Instituto de Pesquisas Ambientais em Bacias Hidrográficas (IPABHi), Estrada Mun. Dr. José Luis Cembranelli, 5000, Taubaté, SP, Brasil, CEP 12081-010 - Taubaté - SP - Brazil
E-mail: ambi.agua@gmail.com

Acompanhe os números deste periódico no seu leitor de RSS

Versão para download de PDF

PDF

Inglês

Versões e tradução automática

Versão original do texto

English

Tradução automática

Google Translator
Microsoft Translator

Como citar

RIS

BIBTEX

Outros formatos de citação e exportação:

SciELO - Scientific Electronic Library Online
Rua Dr. Diogo de Faria, 1087 – 9º andar – Vila Clementino 04037-003 São Paulo/SP - Brasil
E-mail: scielo@scielo.org

Leia a Declaração de Acesso Aberto

Métricas

Heavy metals in waters used for human consumption and crop irrigation

PlumX

Mensagem

[1] *Corresponding author: Milton César Costa Campos, e-mail: mcesarsolos@gmail.com